Photo was taken yesterday at the Honan Chapel, UCC Cork
The Advent wreath in the Honan Chapel is particularly beautiful and today the third candle (pink colour) is lit
Thought on Sunday – December – 12/12/2021
‘If Christmas isn’t found in your heart you won’t find it under the Christmas tree.’ ~Charlotte Carpenter
Christmas is getting so much closer now. This weekend we are already lighting the 3rd candle on the Advent wreath. The third candle is pink and it is meant to stand out. The third Sunday of Advent is called ‘Joyful Sunday’. In many churches the emphasis today will be putting an emphasis on good news. It is a day to celebrate good news stories in our community and in our lives.
Today no apologies are made for highlighting our good news stories. It is crucial and important that we do. We have a natural tendency to lean towards negative and sad stories. Covid has meant that we have been leaning constantly towards a lot of bad news. That is why Storm Barra during the week in an unexpected way, gave everyone a break from the Covid news. The progress of the storm was the only story making the headlines on Tuesday and Wednesday. All the Covid stories were pushed way down the list of breaking news.
We all need to hear good news, we need to nurture good news and importantly we need to celebrate good news. We need to bring the balance back in. That is why ‘Joyful Sunday’ today is one of those days to at least try and put the spotlight on some good news. These good news stories are plentiful but they often get squashed and pushed to one side. These good news stories do not have to make the headlines. It is often the small and insignificant good news stories that really are the best of all.
Christmas can be many different things to people with lots of spiritual significance. Christmas can be rightly called a ‘Celebration of Good News’ but especially of your good news. The message of ‘Joyful Sunday’ is that of course you are special and always worth celebrating. If we can’t do that, then there is no point having Christmas. Christmas celebrates you. You are special and always will be.
